Remove. Retain. Reframe. Visible Legacies of Italian Fascism and What to Do with Them

Abstract: Debates on so-called “difficult” heritage have been reinvigorated by widespread local and global contestations of monuments that silence or obscure traumatic pasts, but they struggle to go beyond the binary of wholesale removal and acritical retention. Italy’s numerous material and visual remnants of fascism and imperialism make it a fascinating case study. Considering examples of activism, public art, urban planning, civic engagement, conservation, and neglect, this article proposes a taxonomy of alternative interventions: removal, retention, and reframing. It examines how these different approaches suggest ways in which contemporary Italy might address the continuing impact of the history of fascism and its visible and invisible traces. The article argues for a recentering of local contexts, often marginalized in national and transnational debates.